Payero: I’ve had no talks about my future
MARTIN Payero says he has received no communication with regards to leaving Middlesbrough this summer, amid reports that he is close to returning to Argentina.
Reports from his home country have suggested he could be close to returning to Argentina after struggling in his first season at Boro.
The midfielder struggled to adapt to English football and culture in his first season at the Boro, with injuries limiting his impact on the pitch. Reports in Argentina have suggested both Boca Juniors and River Plate are interested having both initially rivalled Boro to his signing last summer, and one report this weekend even suggested a loan deal with an option to buy had even been agreed with Boca.
And while Boro are aware of interest in Payero from clubs in South America, it’s not yet believed to have manifested into any official offers, with Payero confirming himself that he is yet to hold any talks with other clubs over a Boro exit.
In an interview with IP Sports in his homeland, the midfielder doesn’t completely rule out a move, but insists for now his focus is on Boro after he returned to Teesside a fortnight ago for the start of pre-season.
“No, the truth is that they haven’t talked to me, no, they haven’t communicated,” Payero told IP Sports after being asked if a return to Argentina is close.
“But the interest is clearly latent. I am aware of that, but for that I also speak with my representative. I say that if you transmit to me, it is calm and it is at Boro.
“I have no control over what happens so today I can only think of one other thing, which is pre-season and being well here because it is where I am today and Boro is my club.
“Then if the offers come and it will be something really formal, and I have it on the table, I’ll sit down and think about it and decide.”
The translation is taken from a one-minute clip of the interview on Argentinian TV. It’s worth noting that the tagline on the video read, ‘My Priority is to stay in Europe,’ though at no point during the clip shared on Twitter did Payero say those words, with the full interview not yet available online.
Payero has returned to training at Boro this summer and for now, is part of the plans for the new season.
That said, after a difficult first year he is down the pecking order in Chris Wilder’s thoughts and will have to work extremely hard to convince the Boro boss that he is good enough.
The pre-season friendlies should offer the 23-year-old an opportunity to impress should he be willing to.
It’s not known whether Boro would listen to offers this summer should any officially come in though.
The club battled hard to win his signature last summer and had high hopes for the Argentina youth international.
They paid three million Euros upfront to Banfield, with the deal potentially rising to six million based on performance-related addons.
They’d be unlikely to want to take a huge loss, with the finances in South American football not excellent right now.
Payero struggled in his first season on Teesside, but wouldn’t be the first player to find English football tough to adapt to in the first 12 months before finally clicking in the second season.
Ultimately the onus is on the player himself to work hard and prove to Wilder that he wants to be part of his plans at Boro.